GNAC Women's Soccer Report: Week 8

( FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 14-20 )

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Cat Nolan, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Sr., M - Center Moriches, N.Y.) Nolan guided Johnson & Wales to a 2-0 week, which included connecting on the game-winning goal in the 66th minute of a 2-0 road victory over conference foe Emmanuel early in the week. Against the Saints, the Long Island native scored the opening goal three minutes into the contest off a corner kick. Late in the week, Nolan helped the Wildcats to a 7-1 win over Rivier scoring the first two goals of the contest. Overall she posted three goals and an assist for seven points.

GOALKEEPER / ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Melanie Colman, Simmons (Fr., GK - Holliston, Mass.)  In the Sharks only match of the week, the first year stopped 11 shots to record a shutout at Anna Maria College on October 16. The keeper registered her second career shutout with her first double-digit save outing in a clean sheet.

WEEK 8 HONOR ROLL

Rachel Prevost, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr, D - Tweksbury, Mass.) - Prevost put together a stellar afternoon in a 2-1 victory over Colby-Sawyer, scoring the first goal and then assisting on the game-winner for Emmanuel. The junior defender also played well vs. GNAC powerhouse Johnson & Wales, holding her mark (J. Restivo) to no points for the first time all season in GNAC play.

Karyssa Lachance, Norwich (So., F - Gorham, N.H.) - Lachance scored, including the game-winning goal to lead Norwich to a huge 3-2 victory over Rivier University on Wednesday. Lachance scored Norwich's second goal of the game and the game-winning goal in overtime to help the Cadets pickup a critical three points in their push to make the GNAC playoffs for the first time since 2011. 

Rachel Kelly, Regis (Mass.) (Sr., M - Whitman, Mass.) - Kelly played a major role in both Regis matches over the past week. Wednesday night against Lasell, she earned a goal and an assist. Saturday on Senior Day, she scored another goal, her third of the season, as the Pride cruised to a victory over Anna Maria. She now has 60 career points, one point behind a tie for second place on Regis' all-time points list, and 25 career goals, tied for second in program history and just two goals away from the school's career record. 

Adia Grogan, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sophomore, GK - Kennebunk, Maine) - Grogan logged 170 minutes of shutout play with 11 saves in a pair of conference victories last week. The sophomore keeper made five saves in a win over Colby-Sawyer on Wednesday and turned away six shots in a 2-0 triumph at Albertus Magnus on Saturday.

McKenzie Murphy, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Junior, M - West Baldwin, Maine) - Murphy scored twice in a 3-0 win at Colby-Sawyer on Wednesday and added her seventh goal of the season in a 2-0 triumph over Albertus Magnus College on Saturday. 

Caleigh O'Brien, Suffolk (Jr., F - Wilbraham, Mass.) - O'Brien had a hand in each of Suffolk's victories over a 2-0 week. She added insurance late in the game against Albertus Magnus with her eighth strike of the season coming with 31 seconds left in regulation to aid to the 2-0 victory. Three days later she set-up the insurance goal put away by Liv Hurley to help shutout Saint Joseph (Conn.). 

Allison Rodrigues, Suffolk (So., GK - North Andover, Mass.) - Rodrigues backstopped Suffolk to a 2-0 week with a pair of shutouts. In the first conference clash of the week, a 2-0 win over Albertus Magnus, the sophomore saved seven shots in a complete-game effort. Three days later, Rodrigues picked up four saves in a 2-0 cleansheet at Saint Joseph (Conn.).